Tom Owen (actor)

Owen trained as a student assistant stage manager at the Leatherhead Theatre in 1966. He worked extensively in repertory both as an actor and director. In 1969 Owen played Farley, in Goodbye, Mr. Chips a role first played by John Mills in the original version. He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in its Broadway production of London Assurance. His performance as Krapp in Fiona Baddeley's production of Beckett's masterpiece Krapp's Last Tape was likened to those given by Michael Gambon, John Hurt and Harold Pinter. He appeared in the West End in the Lulu plays by Wedekind. He also starred in over twenty pantomimes.

Owen made his television debut in 1968 playing Bill Cowan in Southern TV's groundbreaking series Freewheelers appearing in fifty two episodes. Numerous television series followed including Tottering Towers, Wreckers at Deadeye, Horse in the House, The Piglet Files, The Hello Goodbye Man, Z Cars, Upstairs Downstairs, The Bill, Minder, and Our Mutual Friend.

Owen's debut in Last Of The Summer Wine was in 1991 as a bank customer in the episode "Situations Vacant". Following the death of his father, Bill, who played Compo in 184 episodes over twenty-seven years, Tom joined Last of the Summer Wine as a regular in 2000 and stayed with the show appearing in 93 episodes until it ended in 2010.

Owen appeared with Kirk Douglas in the TV film Queenie, with Michael York in Great Expectations and David Hemmings in Unman, Wittering and Zigo.

Owen played school boy Farley in Goodbye Mr Chips (1969). He also appeared in two films which were released in 2018: The Bromley Boys and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Owen married Mary Bernadette Therese Moylan in 1978; they had two sons, James and William.{{Cite web|url=http://www.examiner.co.uk/lifestyle/travel/tom-simmonite-tom-owen-5095781|title = Tom Simmonite: Tom Owen|date = 23 November 2001}}

Owen died on 7 November 2022, at the age of 73. He is buried alongside his father at St John the Evangelist Churchyard, Upperthong, West Yorkshire.{{cite news |last1=Green |first1=Alex |last2=Roper |first2=Kerri-Ann |title=Last Of The Summer Wine star Tom Owen dies aged 73 |url=https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/last-summer-wine-star-tom-155601520.html |access-date=8 November 2022 |publisher=Yahoo! News |date=8 November 2022}}{{cite news|last1=Glynn|first1=Paul|title=Tom Owen: Last of the Summer Wine star dies at 73|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-63560947|work=BBC News |publisher=BBC|date=8 November 2022}}[https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/search-results GOV.uk - Find A Will: Rowbotham, Thomas William Stevenson]

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Category:1949 births

Category:2022 deaths

Category:English male television actors

Category:20th-century English male actors

Category:21st-century English male actors

Category:English male stage actors

Category:Male actors from London

Category:People from Marylebone

Category:Actors from the City of Westminster